


brew me a favor

by kudou



Category: Magic Kaito, 名探偵コナン | Detective Conan | Case Closed
Genre: Alternate Universe - Modern with Magic, Fluff, Gratuitous use of italics, M/M, Witches, no specific witch lore, they go to some school???? who knows
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-11-07
Updated: 2018-11-07
Packaged: 2019-08-20 01:06:34
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,491
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16545863
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/kudou/pseuds/kudou
Summary: "Hey, are you sure you can do this? The look on your face is kind of..." He scrunched his face up in what was probably supposed to be an imitation of Shinichi's expression, and the witch rolled his eyes."Of course I can," Shinichi scoffed, though he made an effort to relax his facial muscles. "I wouldn't have accepted otherwise."Albeit reluctantly,he thought. The potion wasn’t exactly easy to make, but it was hard to refuse when hours ago Kaito brought the ingredients to his doorstep and all but begged him to help, as the best potion maker in their year. Not to mention that Shinichi was a little...biased.





	brew me a favor

**Author's Note:**

> HI SORRY FOR GOING MIA LOL i dont have an excuse i just dont have a lot of inspiration to finish the works i have going right now (but pray that i find it at some point) so i... made this. random thing. there's no concrete universe or lore that it's based off of, just general witch and wizard stuff.  
> i didn't spend too long on it, so i apologize if you spot any errors, and please let me know :')  
> thanks for reading!!! enjoy

Shinichi frowned, staring quizzically into the bubbling, violet-colored brew he stirred gently. The concoction had changed hues nearly 10 times already, casting vivid colors through his small cottage. He worriedly glanced at his more light-sensitive plants scattered around the place, expression darkening when some refused to meet his gaze, clearly not impressed with the light show in the middle of the room. 

He turned his attention back to the cauldron, adjusting the stereotypically large witch hat that sat atop his head (it was almost comical, but he got attached), examining the consistency of the mixture within it. He'd probably end up needing more toadstool, which would have to be balanced with more holly, and would need to be monitored for even  _ longer  _ to guarantee the all the ingredients were compatible...

"Hey, are you sure you can do this?" Kaito piped up from where he was sitting in Shinichi's large, plush armchair a few feet away. He had looked up from his potion book to gauge his progress. "The look on your face is kind of..." He scrunched his face up in what was probably supposed to be an imitation of Shinichi's expression, and the witch rolled his eyes.

"Of course I can," Shinichi scoffed, though he made an effort to relax his facial muscles. "I wouldn't have accepted otherwise." 

_ Albeit reluctantly,  _ he thought. The potion wasn’t exactly  _ easy  _ to make, but it was hard to refuse when hours ago Kaito brought the ingredients to his doorstep and all but begged him to help, as the best potion maker in their year. Not to mention that Shinichi was a little... _ biased.  _

The main thing that gave him pause was the fact that Kaito wouldn’t tell him what the potion was for, and the sheer number of different ingredients he’d brought didn’t give him any idea either. He simply gave him a brief description of how his cauldron was practically unusable after three attempts at this potion, what it should look like (based off of the  _ most advanced potions book in their library,  _ not Kaito’s experience), and which items to put in when. 

Shinichi wasn’t one to turn down a challenge, at least.

“If you say so,” Kaito said, shooting him a doubtful look half-guarded by his book. “I’d help out more, but the way these instructions are written is  _ so  _ stupid. You shouldn’t have to read the entire catalog of potion-making books in the library to understand  _ one  _ tiny potion!”

“Actually, I think that’s exactly what you’re supposed to do,” Shinichi said sardonically. “That book shouldn’t even be available to us until we’ve collected a large enough repertoire of successful brews.” At this, he squinted at the other witch skeptically, only met with a roguish grin. 

Shinichi shook his head, reaching for a small vial from the counter. He ladled a small amount of the slimy liquid into it and handed it over to Kaito. “Any thoughts before I put in the finishing touches?”

Kaito held the vial carefully between his thumb and forefinger, examining it with an intense expression. He glanced between it and the book in his lap as if he could glean any more information from it than he already had. 

For a moment, Shinichi studied the picture in front of him almost as intensely as Kaito did the potion. It felt weirdly… domestic, he realized, or as domestic as it could get when he was creating a mystery potion in the middle of the night for his not-crush. Kaito, in his favorite chair, surrounded by plants that reacted beautifully to his energy alone, his numerous bookshelves filled with as much knowledge as he could get his hands on, and charmed knick-knacks tying the cauldron-lit atmosphere together like the bow on top of a present. The purple potion brought out the slight blue in his eyes, and Shinichi was bewitched.

When Kaito finally met Shinichi’s gaze, it was with a determined smile. He blinked, startled out of his thoughts when he was acknowledged.

“I think we’ve got it,” Kaito declared, handing back the vial and shutting his book with a clap. “Even if it’s supposed to be a super complex mix, I don’t think it has to be totally perfect.” He radiated excitement now, and Shinichi wasn’t sure if he should be endeared or concerned. 

“If you say so,” Shinichi parroted his words from earlier, smirking when Kaito rolls his eyes. He decided to forgo his perfectionist nature just this once. 

Bottling the brew cautiously into spherical containers was somehow even harder than mixing it, with Kaito openly staring at each motion he made. Shinichi fixed his attention on the bottles in his hands instead of the other boy, observing how they reacted. Sometimes, the more fiery potions didn’t take being contained too well, and it was in those moments that he loathed whoever discovered magic in the first place. Sentience could be an annoying subject to deal with.

With the last of the potion bottled, Shinichi was left with the awkward “well, bye, I guess” conversation he dreaded whenever anyone but Ran visited. He was a potion maker, not a socialite. He glanced at the door, then Kaito, then the empty cauldron, which held the last few drops that didn’t make it into the other bottles. They changed colors with a pulse, reminding Shinichi of a really weird heartbeat. Specifically, his own and the way it was almost racing because oh my  _ god,  _ this was so awkward. 

Kaito looked at him expectantly until it became clear that they weren’t going to get anywhere if they relied on Shinichi’s social skills. “So thanks for, uh, accommodating me even with all my  _ mysterious conditions." _ He grinned sheepishly.

“Oh, no problem,” Shinichi said, reaching up to adjust his hat again. “Since I already made it, can you tell me what you're using this for?” 

“Revenge,” Kaito answered solemnly, looking off into the distance. Shinichi wasn’t sure how serious he was until they simultaneously started laughing, effectively wiping out the nervous air around them. 

One of his plants behind Kaito swayed dramatically, encouraging the others to do the same. Kaito turned to see what Shinchi was looking at, only becoming more confused when he saw the plants acting so oddly. 

“What are they doing?” He asked.

_ "Nothing," _ Shinichi said, moving to obscure them from Kaito’s view. His ears were red, he noticed. An odd owner, as well. 

Kaito shook his head, not even attempting to understand whatever connection Shinichi had with his house. Everything inside seemed so alive, whether it really was or not. While some witches tended to keep their plants until they no longer needed them for whatever spells or potions they made, many of the plants in his cottage were obviously old, their leaves and stems untrimmed, yet well-watered and taken care of. 

It was nice. 

“Wait, you’re not actually gonna hurt anyone or anything, are you?” Shinichi asked, his same worried look from before returning to his face.

“No, no, nothing like that,” Kaito said, waving the idea away. “Haku _ baka _ has been getting kinda nosy lately, and  _ this," _ he swirls the two bottles in his right hand conspiratorially, “will be a little lesson to mind his business.” 

Shinichi looked less worried, which was a relief, but infinitely more exasperated. Still, he didn’t say anything more, probably understanding that there was no stopping this plan once it was in motion, and opened the door for him.

“Tell him I said hi, I guess,” he said, resigned and gesturing towards the doorway. "And by the way, you owe me." Kaito positively skipped outside, only to stop suddenly as if he’d thought of something. He juggled the potion bottles from both hands to one, and for a second Shinichi thought,  _ He’d better not drop any of those,  _ before all thoughts came to a screeching halt as Kaito placed a hand on his cheek and swiftly kissed the other. He was racing away and waving wildly before Shinichi, cheeks absolutely on fire, could say a word.

“Thanks for all your help!” Kaito called, beaming and disappearing from Shinichi’s line of sight. For a few moments, he simply stood there in his open doorway, stunned, mind a cacophony of  _ what the fuck what the fuck what the fuck,  _ before he sank to a crouch and buried his flaming face in his hands. 

Some feet away, around the hedges that surrounded Shinichi’s little cottage and unbeknownst to its owner, Kaito fumbled with the potion bottles in his hands, nearly dropping one if it weren’t for his unparalleled reflexes to save it. He could feel his own face heating up rapidly, and though he worried that his impulsive decision was the wrong one, somewhere inside him he knew it wasn’t. 

Did that make up for the sudden favor? Will they avoid each other in classes because of him? Moreover, how the _hell_ was he supposed to focus on turning Hakuba into a frog now?


End file.
